Voice messaging systems that enable users to send and retrieve voice mail messages are known in the communication arts. In a typical prior art voice messaging system a telephone is connected to a private branch exchange (PBX) that may utilize a notification mechanism, such as a message waiting indicator light, to notify a message recipient that a new message is waiting for them. Many wireless telephone communication systems also provide a Short Message Services (SMS) feature that allows users to send and/or receive short text messages. Most of the current generation digital cell phones sold today can receive and send SMS messages. Cellular telephone systems that provide SMS usually include a messaging server for receiving notification messages from a source (e.g., a voice mail, electronic mail, or paging system) in accordance with the Short Message Peer-to-Peer Protocol (SMPP).
Many modern communication systems provide messaging services via packet-based networks, i.e., those that operate in accordance with the ubiquitous Internet Protocol (IP). By way of example, U.S. Patent Publication No. 2005/0135383 discloses an arrangement for accessing messages in an Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP) message store via telephone using a web-based voice message system (VMS) as an email client for the IMAP message store. The VMS includes an application server and a browser configured for generating an audio file that stores received voice signals specifying a message operation. U.S. Patent Publication No. 2005/0210112 teaches a system and method for allowing a sender to use a generic message entry form via an electronic mail (email) service or an instant messaging service over an Internet-connected computer.
A unified messaging system (UMS), such as the commercially-available Cisco® Unity integrated system, handles voice, facsimile and regular text messages as objects in a single mailbox that a user can access either with a regular email client, or by telephone. A UMS typically connects to a PBX to provide automated attendant, audiotext, and voice mail services to subscribers or users. For instance, a personal computer (PC) user with multimedia capabilities typically can open and playback voice messages, either as speech or text. Unified messaging is thus particularly convenient for mobile business users because it allows them to reach colleagues and customers through a PC or telephone device, whichever happens to be available.
An example of a unified messaging system is found in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2005/0177622, which teaches a scalable UMS that outputs a notification delivery message according to a prescribed open protocol based, in part, on a subscriber's notification preference. U.S. Patent Publication No. 2005/0157708 teaches a system and method providing UMS services that includes a public switched telephone network (PSTN) interface for a telephone network service, a VMS, a facsimile, and an IP interface for connection to a packet-based network for an Internet messaging (e.g., an email) service.
Unified messaging systems generally have menu options that are fixed regardless of the message content. For example, after listening to an email message a user may be provided with a set of standard menu options, e.g., forward the email, reply to the email, delete the email, etc. Similarly, after listening to a voicemail message a user may have the option of saving the message, deleting the message, forwarding it to another number, etc.
One problem with existing unified messaging and telephony systems is that the standard menu options do not accommodate or facilitate actions that the user (e.g., listener) may want to take based upon information communicated to the user in the message content. For instance, a user may want to call a phone number provided in an email or voicemail message. Likewise, a user may want to send a new message to an email address mentioned in a received email or voicemail message. Frequently, a user listening to a message is burdened with the task of jotting down notes, memorizing information, or replaying the message again and again, in order to take later action based upon information contained within the message.
What is needed then is a messaging system that is capable of detecting certain information items (e.g., telephone numbers, email addresses, etc.) present in the content of a voice or text message, and then dynamically adding action options to a response menu, thereby enabling a user to easily take a corresponding action immediately after listening to the message.